Encyclopaedia Britannica, or, a Dictionary of arts, sciences, and miscellaneous literature : enlarged and improved. Illustrated with nearly six hundred engravings > Volume 19, Scripture-SUG

SPA [ 495 ] SPA
Spain, viclorious arms as far as Merida, the principal tnwn of
—\Tm~> Luiitania, without meeting any refiftance, except from
the miraculous powers of St Eulalia j but he was flop¬
ped in the full career of fuccefs, and recalled from
Spain, before he could provide for the fecurity of his
conquefts. In his retreat towards the Pyrenees, he re¬
venged his difappointment on the country through
which he palled j and in the fack of Pailentia and A-
florga, he fhewed himfelf a faithlels ally, as well as a
„ cruel enemy.
rtroduc- Recared was the firft Catholic king of Spain. He had
on of imbibed the faith of his unfortunate brother, and he fup-
hriftiani- p0rted it with more prudence and fuccefs. Infleadofre-
volting againft his father, Recared patiently expelled
5^ the hour of his death. Inftead of condemning his me¬
mory, he pioufly fuppofed, that the dying monarch had
abjured the errors of Arianifm, and recommended to
his fon the converflon of the Gothic nation. To ac-
complilh that falutary end, Recared convened an afTem-
bly of the Arian clergy and nobles, declared himfelf a
Catholic, and exhorted them to imitate the example of
their prince. The laborious interpretation of doubtful
texts, or the curious purfuit of metaphyfleal arguments,
would have' excited endlefs controverfy ; and the mo¬
narch difcreetly propofed to his illiterate audience, two
iubflantial and vilible arguments, the teflimony of Earth
and of Heaven. The Earth had fubmitted to the Ni-
cene fynod : the Romans, the Barbarians, and the inha¬
bitants of Spain, unanimoully profelTed the fame ortho¬
dox creed ; and the Vifigoths reiifled, almoft alone, the
confent of the Chriftian world. A fuperflitious age
was prepared to reverence, as the teftimony of Heaven,
the preternatural cures which were performed by the
Ikill or virtue of the Catholic clergy ; the baptifmal
fonts of OflTet in Bretica, which uTere fpontaneoufly re-
plenilhed each year, on the vigil of Eafter 5 and the
miraculous fhrine of St Martin of Tours, which hiul al¬
ready converted the Suevic prince and people of Galli-
eia. The Catholic king encountered fome difficulties
on this important change of the national religion. A
confpiracy, fecretly fomented by the queen-dowager,
was formed again It his life ; and two counts excited a
dangerous revolt in the Narbonnefe Gaul. But Reea¬
red difarmed the eonfpirators, defeated the rebels, and
executed fevere juftice ; which the Arians, in their turn,
might brand with the reproach of perfecution. Eight
bifhops, whole names betray their Barbaric origin, ab¬
jured their errors ; and all the books of Arian theology
were reduced to a (lies, with the houfe in which they
had been purpofcly collected. The whole body of the
Viligoths and Suevi were allured or driven into the pale
of the Catholic communion ; the faith, at leaft, of the
rifing generation, was fervent and lincere j and the de¬
vout liberality of the Barbarians enriched the churches
and monafteries of Spain. Seventy biffiops aflembled in
the council of Toledo, received the fubmiflhm of tjheir
conquerors ; and the zeal of the Spaniards improved
the Nicene creed, by declaring the proceffion of the
Holy Ghoft from the Son, as well as from the Father ,',
a weighty point of do&rine, which produced, long af¬
terwards, the fchifm of the, Greek and Latin churches.
The royal profelyte immediately faluted and confulted
Pope Gregory, furnamed the Great, a learne'd and holy
prelate, whofe reign was diftinguiffied by the converfion
®£ heretics and infidels. The ambaffadors of Recared
refpeftfully offered on the threlhold of the Vatican his Spain,
rich prefent of gold and gems : they accepted, as a lu- ,
crative exchange, the hairs of St John the Baplift ; a
crofs, which inelofed a fmall piece of the true wood jvol. in.
and a key, that contained home particles of iron which p 549.
had been feraped from the chains of St Peter *.
After their cepverfion from idolatry or herefy, the Legiflative
Franks and the Vifigoths were difpofed to embrace, aFetT,Mies
wri;h equal fubmiflion, the inherent evils, and the jn
dental benefits of fuperftition. But the prelates ofSpa;n-
France, long before the extinction of the Merovingian
race, had degenerated into fighting and hunting barba¬
rians. They difdained the ufe of fynods, forgot the
laws of temperance and chaftity, and preferred the in¬
dulgence of private ambition and luxury, to the greateft
intereft of the facerdotal profeffion. The biffiops of
Spain refpefted themfelves, and were refpefted by the
public : their indiffoluble union difguifed their vices,
and confirmed their authority j and the regular difci-
pline of the church introduced peace, order, and liabi¬
lity into the government of the Rate. From the reign
of Recared, the firfl Catholic king, to that of Witiza,
the immediate predeceffor of the unfortunate Roderic,
fixteen national councils were fucceflively convened.
The fix metropolitans, Toledo, Seville, Merida, Braga,
Tarragona and Narbonne, prefided according to their
refpg&ive femority •, the afferably was compofed of their
fuffragan bifliops, who appeared in perfon, or by their
proxies 5 and a place was affigned to the molt holy, or
opulent, of the Spaniffi abbots. During the firft three
days of the convocation, as long as they agitated the
ecclefiaftieal quettions of doflrine and difeipline, the
profane laity was excluded from their debates j which
were conducted, however, with decent folemnity. But,
on the morning of the fourth day, the doors were thrown
open for the entrance of the great officers of the palace,
the dukes and counts of the provinces, the judges of the
cities, and the Gothic nobles; and the decrees of Hea¬
ven were ratified by the confent of the people. The
fame rules were obferved in the provincial affemblies,
the annual fynods, which were empowered to hear com¬
plaints, and to redrefs grievances j and a legal govern¬
ment was fup ported by the prevailing influence of the
Spanilh clergy. The biffiops who, in each revolution,
were prepared to flatter the victorious, and to infult the
proftrate, laboured, with diligence and fuecefs, to kindle
the flames of perfecution, and to exalt the mitre above
the crown. Yet the national councils of Toledo, in
which the free fyirit of the Barbarians was tempered,
and guided -by epifcopal policy, have eftablilhed fome
prudent laws for the benefit of the king and people.
The vacancy of the throne was fupplied by the choice
of the bifhops and palatines ; and after the failure of the
line of Alarie, the regal dignity was ftill limited to the
pure and noble blood of the Goths. The clergy, whq
anointed their lawful prince, always recommended, and
fonjetimes praftrfed, the duty of allegiance 5 and the
fpiritual cenfures were denounced on the heads of the
impious fubjefts, who ffiould refill his authority, con-
fpire againft his life, or violate, by an indecent union,
the chaftity even of his widow. But the monarch him¬
felf, when he attended the throne, was bound by a re¬
ciprocal oath to God and his people, that he would
fai-hfully execute his important truft. The real or
imaginary faults of his adxniniftration were fubjeeft to
the